Arkham Origins
by alster08
Summary: Black Mask, moboss, has put a reward on the head of Gotham's Caped Crusader. Will Batman be able to foil Black Mask's evil doings while avoiding and taking out eight assasins that persue the fifty million dollar reward. After all, it is Christmas Eve night.


**Arkham Origins**-

Disclaimer: All the content in this Fanfiction is DC Comics. My original idea is presented in this story, everything else is property of DC Comics.

Chapter 1: The Final Offer

"Where is Black Mask?" demanded a furious Batman dangling a man invertingly, while repeating "Where is Black Mask," a countless number of menacing times. Batman's blood shot eyes met up with those of the petrified trembling man, transferring his implicit words of enragement. The grin glued to his face, dignified nothing but fury. Batman resembled a bomb, and a simple mistake from the man would set him off on an everlasting temper tantrum, resulting in nothing but broken bones.

Tonight is predicted by Batman himself to be a life changing experience. For what he knows right now, Black Mask has put a bounty on Batmans head. Eight assassins have been hired to fulfill that task. The reward is a supplemental fifty million dollars. The people of Gotham, full of greed, would betray their own vigilanti for that kind of money. His odds are unfavorable. Tonight, Christmas Eve night, is destined to prove most difficult for Gotham's caped crusader.

"I don't know!" the horrified Black Mask associate wailed. He drooped right above the brightly lit Christmas tree which served as a rejoicing decoration to unveil the Christmas spirit in the regularly gloomy Gotham City. Gotham City has a history of gritty streets, mischievous millionaires, and backstabbing governmeant officials. Where could joy be found in such curropt "city".

Batman released the man from his clutchs, leaving the man to soar through a few feet of air but then hoisted by the end of the grapple, inches alway from colliding with the decorative tree. Batman began to pull him up once again, giving the man and his interrogation another attempt to achieve beneficial information.

"Ready to talk, or should I just ditch you for another one of your friends," claimed Batman with a stern look of fury that approached explosion. Being Batman for almost two years now has brought a load of stress upon him. His desires of decreased crime rate were fulfilled while being Batman; this was necessary in overcoming the stress of being a vigilanti in a city where the number of crimes exceeds the population number.

The man continued to squeal useless material. At his current rate, in just seconds he will be the reason one of Gothams liveliest Christmas tree comes tumbling down to the snow overhauled ground.

"Are you ready to..." said Batman being interrupted by the sudden sound of his communication device. The name _Cobblepot _came up upon the screen, sharpening the grin on Batman's face. The brief message from Oswald Cobblepot to the public read:

"We got a falcon in the house that needs some slaughtering. Meet me at the pit if you're up for the fun."

Batmans lips formed in unpleasant expression. The Wayne family and the Cobblepot family have a long, unforgivable history of hate. The actions taken by Oswald Cobblepot in recent years have just furthered the dislikement from Bruce Wayne. Alberto Falcone, weapon dealer, must know the whereabouts of Black Mask. Therefore, Aberto must be rescued from the captivity of Wayne's nemesis, Oswald Cobblepot.

"Nevermind, I have another fish to fry,"informed the Batman, immediately losing interest in the worthless man. With one last yelp from the Black Mask grunt, Batman released his grip sending the undisclosed man colliding into one of Gotham's few treasures. The tree's luminous lights blacked out, hinting a direct hit to the power chord, along with a few fragmented nearby pedestrians let out shrieks as they watched the mysterious urban legend disappear into the newly fromed darkness.

Without a glace back to see the devastating pain Batman had inflicted onto the man, he fled with the help of his handy grapple claw to his next destination, Cobblepot's the Final Offer. From Batman's current location at the North Gotham Church to the Final Offer was an estimated five minute grappling journey. Batman soared through brightly lit streets, decending frigid snowflakes, and gawking packs of civilians. At the time, Batman was merely just a myth, silently cleaning up the streets from the scum that has overtaken the once a grand metropolis. As his Batman career continued to grow, so did the awareness and stories of the Gotham civilians. Children gossoped about him in school, teenagers agreed it was some government conspiracy, and adults laughed at the outrageous idea.

A soft decipherable voice in Batman's ear interrupted the amity. It was Alfred, Bruce Wayne's humble butler who also served as a caretaker throughout Batman's young years after the heartbreaking death of his beloved parents.

_Master Wayne, its Christmas Eve, you should be at home or spending it with a friend or a lucky someone. There's a time for Batman and the time is not now. _

Alfred had a very fragile relationship with Batman. He shunned the fact that Bruce's life revolved around him but he also praised Batman for the waning crime rates. Alfred certainly disapproved of Batman's actions tonight, spending Christmas Eve patrolling the streets of Gotham. From his heart, Alfred truly did care for Bruce as if he were his own son. Bruce's feeling were mutual, if anything were to happen to Alfred, the pain within would be agonizing.

Batman took Alfred's words in one ear and sent it out the other ear. Tonight of all nights, was far too significant to partake an endless dispute with Alfred.

_Master Wayne, I raised you better than to ignore those who truly care about you. Don't let Batman steal the curteous yet empathic Bruce Wayne, child of Gotham's saviors. _

Without a response, Batman aborted the communication call with Alfred. Tonight was serious, Batman could sense it. Tonight would be life changing, not just for himself but the people of Gotham as well, and there was no doubt about it. Batman assumed Black Mask was up to something precarious and Batman was his only obstacle, explaining the fifty million dollar reward for the dead man in a shiny leather black suit, Batman.

The Final Hope, a massive semi-luxurious ship, was situated in the waters just outside the Sionis Steel Mill in Amusment Mile. The multleveled ship contained all the activities for the wicked, including a casino, fighting pit, and weapon shop. All the scum in the city resort there for the majority of their unlawful actions like cruel fighting.

The main entrance, heavily guarded, refused to allow vigilantes, law enforcements, or government officials. It was part of their strict policy. Unfortanatly Batman fell under one of the catagories, vigilante. Entering the Final Offer may require a little more thoughtout strategy than Batman had initially desired.

Batman captured a survey of the boat, utilizing his detective mode; he got an idea of the surrounding environment. He then ordered his Bat computer to send data of the Final Offer's access points. Unfortanatly, the Bat Cave supplied him with only three options, the front entrance, entrance on the deck, and a few guest windows. He spotted two men at the front entrance, likely guarding for forbidden intruders. A few men loitered outside the deck entrance. Batman assumed it was just a drug deal. A few windows were open but the risk of getting spotted was too great. He came to a decision that the preeminent method lied on the deck of the ship. It would require a fight; being seen would certainly complicate things further.

At Batmans stance on top of the Sionis Steel Mill, he was going to have to transition back and forth between towers, buildings, and Christman decorations in order to avoid sight by the patrolling Cobblepot employees stationed at the front entrance in order to grapple to a nearby building. Then with a hop off the mill, he grappled to a tall building just outside the ship where he could get a decent visual of the men in the deck.

He counted six men hanging out on the deck but surprisingly no spoken words. What were these men doing in the deck? Something abnormal must have been going as if they were waiting for a threat.

Batman switched on detective mode and was startled when it picked up six armed men. Now it wasn't just six defenseless men, it was six hostile men. Drawing direct attention at himself would not only notify Cobblepot but it may also lead to bullet wounds; not something worth counting for. Taking them out one by one silently was an absolute.

Luckily, Batman carried a few weapons in case such scenario was to actually happen. To start off the ambush, he threw his sonic batarang at a neighboring glass window, shattering it into an uncountable amount of pieces. The sound of the shatter alerted four of the traversing men. They drew their attention to the crippled window to investigate the random scene. The remaining two men were now susceptible to an astonishing attack.

Taking advantage of the situation, Batman glided behind one of the men while the other turned the corner. The landing was near silent. Time was limited; the remaining pact would soon lose interest in the crippled window. Without seconds to spare, Batman threw his arm around the mans throat and shoved the own man's hand into his own mouth to keep from letting out a distracting shreik. It only took a few seconds for the thug to be out cold. Batman silently set the man down and searched for the next target.

Batman than rushed to the other patrolling guard, but once he was a few feet away he began to tiptoe. Silence was golden. Just as the thug was about to turn a corner Batman sprouted out from his crouched position, threw his arm around the man's mouth and then forced him to a nearby ledge. He gave the man a merciless punch and than coldly threw him over the boat's ledge. The sound of the water waves plus the height from the water to the deck made the man's screams unheard.

Batman grappled once again to the same nearby building to plan out his next tactic. Two men were taken down, just four more remained.

"Looks like some kind of Surikan, but in the shape of a Bat, "one man had informed while holding the batarang up for the rest of the pact to see. With a click to a button, Batman detonated the Sonic Batarang, sending the once conscience man out cold. The other three men froze at the sight, completely flabbergasted. Now they sensed danger around them. Simultaneously they all lifted up their weapon to a position where they will immediately be able to fire at any serious threat.

"Whatever or whoever you are, stay away from me," exclaimed another clueless Cobblepot henchman. The two other men repeated similar phrases while watching each others backs for protection

Batman was already a step ahead of them; he pulled out his grapple and shot it at one of the clueless men approaching the end railing of the ship. The grapple attached to the mana me now he was susceptible to Batmans taunts. Batman did not waste any available time, he yanked the grapple, sending the man over the railing and tumbling into the mysterious sea. There were a few more petrifying shrieks followed by dead silence. Then there were two.

The last two were going to be a simple take out. Batman pulled out a Batarang and sent it soaring towards one of the men. Its sharp point sent the man crashing to the ground. The man would be on the ground for a while keening the other guy was alone. Without a second to waste, Batman performed his effective glide kick sending the other man flying into a patio table. The deafening sound of the collision showed an obvious knockout. It was surely a cracked skull.

Just as the last man was rising from the batarang, Batman flashed to the spot and planted his fist into the man's face, breaking his nose, leaving him whimpering. Just to be sure the man wouldn't be a future problem; Batman smashed his suited knee into the man's abdomen, leaving him in another world. Then there were none.

The entrance from the deck was now clear, but the people within those doors would also pose a threat to his attempt at invisibility. His detective mode would be his savior now. As he reached the door he flicked it on from his cowl. The detective mode didn'sense any human life forms which confused Batman. Something had to be going on within the ship to explain the absence of those roaming the halls

A few minutes of countless turns throughout hallways full of guest room doors finally lead him to the fighting pit. Hundreds of people were gathered there which explained the absence throughout the hallway. Batman continued to stay hidden in his current hallway, his head titled just a bit to get a glimpse at the scene.

All of a sudden a man's croaky voice came onto the intercom. It definitely sounded like Cobblepots, just to be sure; Batman utilized his detective mode to locate the owner of the voice. The skeleton outline showed a short and stubby man. It was Cobblepot for sure.

"Welocme to the pit," croaked Cobblepot in his own little balcony above the pit. Right next to him sat a youngish looking man, tied up to a chair. It was Alberto Falcone and he certainly wasn't welcomed at the pit. "I got a little bug that needs squashing and some splattering." Cheers consumed the grand room, echoing back after reaching the high ceiling. Unpredictably, Cobblepot smashed his cane into Alberto's face; the crowd roared.

"This man is a traitor. He agreed to give all manufactured weapons to me. Then I caught him sending weapons to Black Mask. Now now we can't have that can we," explained Cobblepot, circling around the constrained Alberto. Another hit from Cobblepot's umberlla had Alberto's head jerking in uncomfortable positions. "He will get what he deserves, isn't that right." The crowd couldn't possibly get louder. Tattooed thugs, pierced up scum, exited the bleachers and made their way to the fighting area. The fight was destined to end cruely. "After I'm done with this trash, we will take out Black Mask's mob. We will take back what is ours. We will be the only mob on the streets of Gotham. We are the future of Gotham!"

"Now it's time to kill this fucker," shouted Penguin while deliberately shoving Alberto Falcone off the balcony and into the fighting pit. The constraints were still concealing Alberto givng him an unfair disadvantage. The fight was bound to end quickly and at the current scenario, Alberto was definitely dead. Dozens of buff men ready to pick a fight approached Alberto. The closer they got, the more Alberto fidgeted. His teeth clattered, his eyes released tears of fear, and his face turned a crimson red.

Batman made a quick move knowing that Alberto is the key to Black Mask's whereabouts. Batman entered the pit and intercepted a man's fast swing that was directed at Alberto. The crowd gasped and so did the fighters, Alberto, and Cobblepot. They couldn't believe their eyes, Batman was just a mere myth prior to his appearance, but now he was real and livider than ever.

"Who the hell is this freak in a costume," chided Cobblepot in his grating voice. He forced himself up from his seat jus to get a clearer look. "This wasn't supposed to happen!" His face burst into color of pure anger.

Batman quickly removed the ropes around Alberto's arms and legs, while yanking him up. They attempted to make an escape but the fighters blocked the exit just in time. Fighting proved to be their only option.

"Well boys, we have two fish to fry I guess," chuckled Cobblepot after he had settled down from his temper joke was on him, he clearly wasn't aware of Batman's unsurpassed abilities.

Batman and Alberto Falcone were about to be plagued with thirty of Cobblepot's furious customers. The thirty assembled in a circle around the two and were prepared for a brutal fight.

"Stay by my side. And don't pull in funny moves," growled Batman yanking Alberot to his side. After all he had done to get this far, Alberto was not going anywhere.

One man lunged forward to get a swing at the Batman. Batman quickly dodged the attempt sending the hurling fist into another man. With time to no waste Batman punched a nearby man and immediately elbowed the approaching man behind; a definite knockout.

Alberto's fighting skills were not nearly as well polished or effective as Batmans but he was clearly getting his way through it all. Suddenly a thug triped Alberto, leaving him vulnerable to brutal attacks. Batman saw the incident and finished off another man before interfering in Alberto's battle. Batman whipped his cape confusing many of the men, than launched a dozen batarang s to buy off time. Many of the men collapsed atop of each other. Alberto was quick to his feet after Batman had saved him.

Now the two, Batman and Alberto, stood back to back throwing and kicking in a pattern. When one man had swung a fist, Batman would counter by grabbing their arm and bending it into virtually impossible positions. A few men were taken out that way while others had merciless punches to the gut sending them feet across the arena while also suffering a unforgettable fall.

Alberto had a few fighting techniques up his sleeve, when a man had lunged forward he quickly snuck under their legs and pushed the man into another man from behind. Immediately after, he would hop onto the two and throw countless clenched up fist to their heads until it became unbearable for the foes.

After minutes of attacking, the amount of fighters was depleting. They were making progress and only had to endure just a few more minutes. Alberto started feeling tiresome; he wasn't fit for such type of actions. His moves began to start slipping. When he turned his head towards another foe, a thug surprised Alberto with he gruesome punch in his back. His face collided with the ground. Just as he raised his head, the same man slammed his foot into Alberto's skull. Even though Alberto's head suffered from dizziness and his eyes were completely blurred, he could tell Batman had made his way to protect him. A concussion stood apparent and another hit to his throbbing head would surely not end his favor.

Even without another hit, Alberto began to doze off invoulentarily. The sounds of punches, kicks, collisions, screams, and grunts began to fade away.

Alberto- A Couple Hours Earlier

Alberto stood motionless inside of the shipping warehouse waiting for the cargo ship that housed over thousands of deadly weapons. Black Mask had ordered hundreds of firearms, shot guns, and snipers. He also ordered enough ammunition to last an army an entire year.

Normally he was loyal to Cobblepot who ordered Alberto to only sell weapons to him as a tactic in his everlasting mob war. Today was different; Black Mask had offered five times more cash per gun than Cobblepot. The only obstacle was Cobblepot. If he found out, Alberto would be dead. Cobblepot always manages to have his malicious ways.

Minutes have gone by and Alberto could finally see the outline of the ship on the sun setting horizon through the opened garage in the void warehouse. He let out a gasp of relief; Black Mask would not accept any delay, for whatever reason.

The warehouse was vacant. Cobblepot usually takes every single last gun that reaches. It was in the two's agreement. Alberto would not sell any guns to anyone else. Cobblepot had full ownership on all merchandise. This made this situation between Black Mask and Alberto delicate. Cobblepot mustn't know about the agreement between Black Mask or he would have Alberto's head.

"Where are my weapons?" The voice from an unknown location startled Alberto. He shifted his head in every direction to finally find Black Mask just a foot away. There eyes met, fear lurked in every centimeter of Alberto's body. The deathly stare was enough to scare any living creature on the planet.

"You look scared. Is something wrong," questioned Black Mask. He had noticed Alberto trembling in fear as if someone were ready to kill him. It was true, Alberto was afraid of the consequences if Cobblepot were to somehow find out about the secret. It would mean death.

"Why... would you say... that," fibed Alberto who truly felt distress.

"No reason. Anyway, where the hell are my weapons," barked Black Mask pointing to an empty building meant to hold temporary shipments.

Alberto snapped out of his little terror eruption. "There coming shortly the cargo ship is a tad bit late but I can see it on the horizon," spat out Aberto without taking a single breath in between clauses.

Black Mask turned his head to take a peak outside the garage door and it was true, a ship was approaching. "I see then. Me and my men will be back to pick up the weapons at midnight with a big truck. You will receive your million dollars soon after that."

"Yes sir," said Alberto. He then reached out to shake Black Masks hand. Black Mask looked down and slowly moved his hand to meet up with Alberto's. He gripped firmly and gave it three simple shakes. They released simmotaniously. Black Mask gave him one last poisonous stare and then went on his way out of the soon to be full warehouse.

Once Black Mask was completely gone, Alberto gave a sigh of relief. He wiped the abundance of sweat on his forehead that had broken out at the grip of Black Mask's gloved hands.

The ship arived ten minutes after Black Mask's departure. The ship came to a complete stop and the drop bridge came down. About ten workers appeared and greeted Alberto.

"Where would you like these," asked the scruffy white man. He looked run down like he had traveled through a jungle.

Alberto couldn't help but stare, but eventually the answer flowed out. "In that corner over there."

The man nodded and signaled his crew member to begin unloading in the designated corner. It took a half an hour to unload the crates into the warp rehouse. There must have been a hundred. Fifty boxes full of ammunition and fifty boxes full of the artillery were stacked atop each other. Black Mask would need a couple trips in order to transfer each and every weapon.

The crew member returned to the cargo ship. The draw bridge began to rise and the ship began to sail away soon after. Alberto gave the warehouse one quick glance and then began to close the garage to the warehouse. He sealed it shut with a key only he, Cobblepot, and Black Mask possessed.

Alberto's stree level depleted. A smile somehow found its way on his face. He had successfully got away with his sneaky plot to break the deal between Cobblepot without actually breaking it. He turned around to be slammed in the head with something in metallic nature. His eyes began to blur, he heard a chuckle followed by a few cuss words, and then his mind slipped from consciousness.

Alberto's eyes slowly opened. He was being carried. They were moving. His eyes began to regain acuity. He nearly jumped when he saw a man, in a black suit, a covering mask, and an eager face running with him in his hands. Batman, he had saved him, he had caught off the last of the foes. The one question that roamed Alberto's mind was "why?"

"I will get you Falcone and that freak. You will all regret what you did today," scolded Cobblepot as Batman exited the pit with Alberto in his arms.

Running throughout the entire ship cut the traveling time a tremendous amount. Batman and Alberto were out on the deck of the Final Offer within a minute. As soon as Batman allowed Alberto to leave his arms, Alberto attempted to make run for it. Batman anticipated such action and launched his grapple, dragging Alberto back to his finger tips.

"What do you want from me," cried Alberto bewildered. Alberto was clueless; he had no idea what Batman wanted from him, other than the fact that his father was one of the most powerful mob bosses in Gotham's history.

"Don't play games with me. I want to know where Black Mask is now!"

"I don't know anything!"

"Don't lie to me." The veins on the uncovered portion of Batmans face were bulging. His anger was notable, nothing compared. It was enough to leave Alberto quivering in unimaginable fear. "I know you've been supplying Balck Mask with weapons and I want to know when and where the next shipment is coming to Black Mask."

Alberto failed to respond, caught up in his own lies. He didn't completely get away with his sneaky plan after all. This bad decision released in absurb amount of rage from Batman. Batman yanked up his foot to plant it into Alberto's face. Next, he lifted Alberto who was defenseless against Batman's careful brutal skill, and pounded him on one of the deck's tables. If that wouldn't get Alberto talking than Batman wouldnt know what else to do.

Alberto tried to blurt out something but the sound of restless screams drowned out his words. Batman gave Alberto a few seconds to recover and then grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground. Death was just a clench of a fist away from Alberto. After all that Alberto endured today, it would be virtually impossible to take another hit.

"Ill talk," cried out Alberto, through his strained throat. "Weapons and ammunition are beInge picked up by Black Mask on the North Gotham docks in the shipping center in just a few minutes."

"That's not far," growled Batman. Before Alberto could speak another word, Batman slammed Alberto's head onto another patio table, this time sending him out of consousness. Alberto will clearly have brain damage the next time he awakes; if he wakes.

Without taking a look back, Batman leaped off the boat and glided through the breezy night air, full of lights, laughter, and love. The placid night sky blended in with the Christman feel, the snow blanketed the city, disguising the scars within. Although it was just a few minutes till midnight, Batman had sensed the night had just begun.


End file.
